The Archives of Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot and Prongs
by imaginationpysche
Summary: Hey. If you're reading this, it's too late. They're dead. The Marauders are dead. But their legacy lives on. Their story is right here in these pages. It tells of their memories, the adventures, the romance, the sorrow, the triumph, and everything in between. I should know. I was there. From the viewpoints of James, Sirius, and Lupin, with a little Peter thrown in.
1. Chapter 1

**Here is my story for HARRY POTTA. *crying* Anyway, this is a long term project, so I won't update as much as my other story. Hope you enjoy this first chapter!**

 ** _CHAPTER ONE: James Potter_**

"Come _on_ , James!" James Potter rolled his hazel eyes but hurried over to his mother. She gazed lovingly into his face and smoothed his purposely ruffled hair. "Oh, you're so handsome," she crooned, now consciously trying to embarrass him. To his surprise, he didn't feel the sweet touch of his mother's love, at least, it wasn't the first thing he felt.

"MOM, I'm going to miss the train," he complained, pulling away from her with a quick hug. He nodded to his father and took his trunk from the house elf, lugging it towards the train car, puffing.

Inside the train, students ran up and down the narrow corridor, yelling and laughing. No one was sad about school starting up again, like they were in the Muggle world. Not that he payed attention to the Muggles, anyway.

The year before, his parents, Euphemia and Fleamont Potter, had forced him to get a pen pal. He had chosen a suburb at random, and asked his father to access some records that would lead him to a fellow ten year old. When the system had complied, he had sent a letter the next week, painstakingly writing it and rewriting it.

Sirius Black. That was his pen pal's name. Sirius had not told him much about his family, and Fleamont advised him not to look up the Black family, to keep it a surprise. Sirius had, however, sent a picture of himself in their last letter. James held that very photograph in his shaking hand right now.

James had sent a picture of himself before Sirius had, so they would be able to recognize each other. He hoped so. What if Sirius had been playing with him the whole time? His stomach twisted itself into a knot.

Finally, after going up and down the train corridor several times, he saw his pen pal. Sirius had cut his hair since the photograph was taken, and it framed his face in dark brown, curly waves. His eyes were nervous and blue in his oval face.

"Sirius Black!" James called, hoping the other boy would recognize him. He did.

"James Potter!" The two boys ran as fast as they could towards each other while pulling their trunks. They met in the middle, right by an empty compartment. In an unspoken agreement, they turned and walked right into it. A girl about his age, wearing Muggle clothes and sporting bright red hair, was sitting in a seat, her face pressed against the large window. Nothing of interest.

"So, Sirius, is it? Were your parents especially _serious_ the day you were born?" James pushed his trunk up onto the rack above the seats then plopped down under it. His newfound friend looked at him curiously.

"No, Sirius is a _constellation_ , which means I am a _star_ ," He said pompously, pushing up his nose like a pig or a snotty Slytherin. James roared with laughter. He had a feeling that, with this boy as a friend, he would laugh like that a lot more.

A knock came at the compartment door. Through the glass, they could see a tall boy with chestnut brown hair covering his eyes. Sirius looked at James with a _go ahead_ expression. James straightened his glasses, mussed up his hair, and slid open the door. A whistle sounded, the train would be leaving soon.

"Hi. I'm Remus Lupin." The boy had a very thin scar going across his face and his dark blue eyes were darting around, occasionally going to James' face, shooting away again. Remus cleared his throat and asked in a small voice, "Can I sit with you? Everywhere else is full." The full part was a lie, James suspected, but he decided to let it pass.

James looked back at Sirius, who nodded. He smiled warmly at Remus. "Of course. If we're all to become best friends, we should start getting to know each other." A few encouraging words should loosen his tongue. He would know soon enough if this nervous boy was worth it.

Twenty minutes later, it was decided. They had told each other a bit about themselves, and were joking when the compartment door slid open again. Sirius had just told a joke and they were all beside themselves with laughter. None of the boys paid the newcomer any mind until he heard it.

"You'd better be in Slytherin." Ah. That was Severus Snape. A greasy, black haired sniveling bat. He had heard about him from his parents, who told James in serious tones, "Don't go making friends with that boy. He's trouble. Just avoid him." Why avoid him? James, being the son of two wealthy parents, couldn't hold his tongue.

"Slytherin?" The two people looked at him. One was Snape, and the other was the red haired girl. She was mildly pretty, but not gorgeous. However, she had almond shaped eyes that were greener than anything he had ever seen. That was memorable. He'd learn her name sometime.

James turned to Sirius. "Who wants to be in Slytherin? I think I'd leave, wouldn't you?" Sirius didn't laugh or even smile. James felt his throat seize. _What did I do wrong?_

"My whole family have been in Slytherin," he said somberly.

James decided to make it a positive conversation again. "Blimey, and I thought you seemed alright!" That broke Sirius's frown. He grinned, revealing pearly white teeth straighter than the tracks they were now chugging along on. Remus chuckled and opened his book again.

Sirius broke his smile to say, "Maybe I'll break the tradition. Where are you heading, if you've got a choice?" James lifted an invisible sword, holding it triumphantly in the air.

"'Gryffindor, where dwell the brave at heart'! Like my dad." His words were greeted by a small, repulsed noise. It was that snivelling Snape. He turned towards the other boy. "Got a problem with that?"

The Snivelling Snape sneered. "No. If you rather be brawny than brainy-"

Sirius had something to say about that. "Where're you hoping to go, seeing as you're neither?"

James failed to hold back the lion's roar of laughter that thundered up his throat. He slapped his knee like an adult and felt back in his seat, gasping for breath.

The red haired girl stood up, blush on her freckled cheeks, and scowled at them. "Come on, Severus, let's find another compartment." She stalked out, Snivellus in tow.

Sirius and James mocked her. "Oooooooo." On a roll, James stuck out his leg to trip Snape. He failed, but oh, did it feel good to throw his weight around.

As they disappeared, James couldn't resist calling Snape by his new name. "See ya, Snivellus!" He stood and slammed the compartment door, falling against it with laughter. Remus shut his book with a laugh of his own and Sirius fell off the seat. For the rest of the train ride, they forgot about the two wet blankets and joked around some more. Remus added a few things in, but mostly kept to himself, reading. James didn't find it annoying, but he did wish the boy would talk a bit more. It was okay. They'd break him of the habit.

They were lined up in the Great Hall. It looked exactly like James had heard, high ceilinged, a mirror image of the sky. Four, enormous House tables taking up the majority of the space. A stool stood in front of the staff table, where a strict-looking Professor McGonagall waiting with a long roll of parchment. She called out a few names, and the students sat and were Sorted, going off to their respective Houses. Sirius Black walked slowly to the stool. James watched with concerned eyes. The Sorting Hat waited a few minutes before screaming "GRYFFINDOR!"

When the name "Evans, Lily" was called, the red haired, freckled girl stepped up and sat on the stool. McGonagall placed the Hat on her head. After a few seconds, it screamed, "GRYFFINDOR!" Lily smiled and ran to the table, looking back at the line. James noticed that she made eye contact with Snape and frowned to himself.

Sirius, bless his little Black-raised heart, scooted over to make room, but Lily obviously recognized him from earlier and turned away from his sheepish smile.

"Lupin, Remus!" James snapped his attention back to the front of the Hall. The nervous, chestnut haired boy speed-walked to the front, almost tripping over his school robes. James heard Snivellus snicker. He had to resist tackling the boy. He could do it. Just a few… names… left. After Remus had seated himself at the Gryffindor table, across from Sirius, who grinned and fist bumped him, Potter let his attention wander.

"Potter, James." McGonagall looked at him sternly as he ran to the stool. He smiled innocently up at her. In response, she placed the battered Hat on his head. It covered his eyes, so he waited in darkness, panicking.

 _A brave heart. Full of courage… intelligent, sometimes._

James felt his cheeks burn. _What do you mean, sometimes?_

The hat chuckled and did not answer. _Arrogant, fueled by wealth. Hmm… Brave, loyal, sometimes smart. I know exactly where you should go._

Out loud, it screamed, "Gryffindor!" James smiled from ear to ear and sprinted off to his new House table. His new Housemates cheered for him, as they did for all new recruits. He smiled at Remus and Sirius, who returned it. After a couple more minutes, the feast started, and James barely remembered anymore of that night.

A gust blew in through a window, chilling the Gryffindor first year. James had not touched it since two weeks past, and he scowled as he realized who had opened it. "Sirius!" A snicker from under the covers in the next bed over. James threw his shoe at the scarlet and golden lump, striking it squarely in the rounder part. A yelp, and James snatched his shoe away from the hand that reached out to grab it, laughing. Sirius burst out from the comforter and lunged at James, tackling him, trying to take the shoe.

"Guys, you're going to be late for class!" Remus scowled at the pair of them tussling on the floor. Sirius grinned.

"You're just jealous you can't beat me in arm wrestling!" He teased. James snorted. It was true. Remus looked put out for a moment, but failing to earn their pity, smiled a little. James grinned and reached up to ruffle his hair like a father, rubbing his fist into it so Remus had to bend over, allowing Sirius to attack him from behind, shoving him onto his bed. Remus stood up quickly, flustered, and announced himself to be going to Transfiguration. He left, reaching up and spinning the clock around so the two jokers could see it.

It was five minutes till classes.

James screamed and dressed as fast as he possibly could. Sirius looked in the mirror, threw on a robe over his pajamas, shoved his shoes on, put some books in his bag, and ran out the door. James swore and shoved his shoes on, following him. His owl, Marmalade, hooted what seemed to be a sarcastic wish of good luck after him. James scowled but laughed as he ran down the steps.

The two boys ran as fast as they could to Transfiguration, cuss words spilling out of their mouths. As soon as they entered the classroom, thirty seconds late, their teeth turned in little bars of soap. The class was a shared one with some Hufflepuff first years, and they were kind enough to only snicker a little bit. However, the other Gryffindors, Remus included, laughed heartily at their pain.

Coughing and spluttering, James sank to the ground and leaned against a desk, trying not to choke on the suds now foaming out of his mouth. Just as he felt his lungs constrict, his teeth resumed their normal shape, but left him with a taste of soap in his mouth. Sirius recovered a second after him, his Gryffindor robes falling open to reveal Snitch patterned pajamas. This made even the quietest of Hufflepuffs snort in mirth.

James stood up shakily and slunk to his seat, a cat after someone has sprayed it with water. Sirius followed him, sitting in his seat and sliding down until only his eyes, forehead, and hair were visible.

"As I was saying," Professor McGonagall continued with a sharp look at the two boys, "Transfiguration is not about the wand waving, it is about your notes and how you comprehend them. Today, I will demonstrate, you will take notes, and then you will attempt it yourself. A ruler into a spoon. Watch carefully."

She turned to a silver ruler on the desk. It looked like the kind from Astronomy. James leaned forward, always eager to watch an experienced witch or wizard do magic. He suddenly remembered to take notes, and frantically dug a piece of parchment out of his bag, along with a bottle of ink and an eagle feather quill.

" _Ortholigula!_ " McGonagall said, jabbing her wand at the ruler. There was a small pop, and the ruler turned into metallic silver spoon, narrowing and fanning out at the end. It was more of a stirring spoon, really, as the ruler was so big, but whatever. James made sure to include that.

 _ **Spell is othroliegoola. Jab wand at subject and stand up too. Also be firm and put stress on the liegoola part. Spoon turns into a stirring spoon because the ruler was so big. Also you need to scowl when you say that. And you need to have just turned two boys's teeth into little soap things because you are a strict old lady. Focus too.**_

A throat cleared behind him. He looked up to see McGonagall leaning over him, frowning deeply, reading his notes. He smiled sheepishly at her, and for a second, he thought she would turn him into a pig for bacon. He certainly ate enough of it to fill a pig. When he got enough time to eat in the mornings, that was.

"'Spell'," McGonagall read out loud, "'is othroliegoola. Jab wand at subject, and stand up too. Also be firm, and put stress on the liegoola part. Spoon turns into a stirring spoon because the ruler was so big. Also, you need to scowl when you say that. And you need to have turned two boys' teeth into little soap things because you a strict old lady. Focus too.' If you ever need notes, class, come to Mr. Potter here if you want to fail. Can anyone tell me the correct information?" Snickers.

James felt his cheeks warm and start on fire, and as McGonagall moved to the front of the class, he sunk down as low as Sirius had been moments earlier. His friend was now hunched over his desk, scribbling furiously. On the other side of the room, Remus was chewing on his pencil.

Lily Evans' hand shot into the air. "Yes, Ms. Evans?" McGonagall asked. Lily responded with the answer.

"The proper pronunciation is ore-tho-lie-goo-la," she said with a look at James, "and it's spelled O-R-T-H-O…"

James tuned out and thought about that morning. He wasn't going to be embarrassed anymore. He was going to make a name for himself, reinforce that Potter Privilege. And it needed to start now. The Gryffindor sat up straighter, and schemed about how he could start marauding this castle.

 _They won't know what hit them. Get ready, Professor McGonagall._


	2. Chapter 2

**HEY THERE! Another chapter done. A lot of dialogue, but hopefully it's more enjoyable.**

 **Harry Potter and its characters belong to JK Rowling the Great.**

Sirius sighed and looked out the window of the dormitory. He was bored out of his mind, even though they had tons of homework that required _thinking._ Thinking. Ugh. That word, it described his all time fear. Actually working up to do the energy to, in the end, to _not_ do what he had just been thinking about. There it was again. UGH. He flopped down on the scarlet and golden comforter.

"I'm so _bored_ ," he groaned. A tsking noise came from behind, and he was hit with a heavy library book on the forehead.

Remus's mock strict face appeared over him, upside down. Sirius briefly considered spitting upwards to try and bother his friend, but Remus was in the position of power, and the spit might very well never reach its target. Then Sirius would have to go to the communal bathroom and scrub his face. That rubbish was nasty.

"We have homework. You could always be responsible for a change. It's almost Halloween, and there's a test on Monday in Charms. Your wandwork could use some practice, besides, the library is always open. When was the last time you actually _read_ a book?" Remus was very serious, and very endearing, with a pencil tucked behind his ear and a smear of ink on his nose. Sirius sat up, forcing his friend to lean back to avoid his wavy dark hair.

Turning around to study his teller-off, Sirius noticed a worrying detail. Remus was very pale, his face looked gaunt and worn out. There were dark bags under his eyes, which were slightly red. All in all, he looked ill. They would have to do something about that.

Imbued with a sudden purpose, Sirius sprang off the bed and pulled Remus out of his study nest. The other boy protested, but Sirius had his mate's best interests at heart. They stumbled down the stairs, with Remus going limp to force Sirius to let him go. At the end, Sirius was supporting his friend.

"Oh stand up, will you, great lump!" Sirius cuffed his friend over the head and let go. Remus sighed and followed Sirius out of the portrait hole, a few fifth years by the fire looking at them curiously.

Sirius was determined to help his friend, but when Remus caught on to his idea and turned around, he was confused. He grabbed Remus's arm, but the boy was obviously not going.

"I don't need the hospital wing, Sirius!"

"Yes, you do! You're obviously ill."

"Listen to me! I. Don't. Need. The. Hospital. Wing." He turned and stalked away, leaving the young Black standing in front of the door to the hospital wing.

 _That was a bust. Why was he so touchy about it? I was trying to help. Maybe he has some kind of sickness that will get him kicked out. He might be ashamed about it. That wouldn't be okay. No one should feel ashamed for something they can't control. Like a sickness._ Sirius shivered a tiny bit, but really, if it wasn't contagious and it wouldn't kill Remus, it was actually fine.

Still…

The young Gryffindor shoved his hands into his pockets and strode off towards the Owlery. He needed someplace cold to think. It always cleared his head, especially when it was muddled. And it sure was muddled these days. The castle was drafty, but not overly so, and Sirius was sure it was enchanted to make sure the students were comfortable. It would be nice if there were tons of enchantments like that one. A nice change for sure. Last week, he had been in the bathroom on the second floor when a female ghost had swooped through the wall. This would have been appalling by itself, but she had the nerve to stop and start up a conversation with him. That had _not_ been pleasant.

Sirius was almost to the Owlery when James caught up to him. He was puzzled, for James had recently been disappearing for long amounts of time. His personality had also changed. It was like the boy on train was here to stay, and his humble, considerate-for-others was just an act. It was all very confusing, and Sirius vowed to think on it later, knowing full well he wouldn't.

"Hey, Sirius, mate! Wait up!" Sirius slowed his pace fractionally, but hunched his shoulders.

"What?"

James looked like he was about to burst with excitement like some kind of balloon. It would be just a right _shame_ if someone were to pop it prematurely… Nah, too much work.

"Well, you know Snivellus?" Sirius nodded, he too becoming excited, "I saw him and Lily Evans walking around the grounds. They're pretty much best mates. So anyway, what if I just _slipped_ a little love potion in her pitcher of water. I've been keeping tabs on their tower window. Did you know that you can see right into their dormitory from the fifth floor corridor by the statue of the unicorn? It's really quite nice, except for when Evans closes the curtains. But anyway, her bed is right by that window, and she has a glass of water she takes a drink of every morning? It would be so easy to sneak on up there during lunch and pour the potion in."

Sirius was a little disturbed when he thought about how frequently James was missing these days, especially the nighttime, but he exchanged the thought for a question.

"And to whom would the love potion be targeted at, exactly?" He sincerely hoped it would not be him. He had enough issues to deal with right now.

"Me, of course. Evans is the only thing that holds back Snivellus, and with her out of the picture, he'll come straight at me. He'll also be mad that I stole Evans. He fancies her. I can see it in his little eyes. Last week he even took a shower." Sirius gasped in shock, "Anyway, I'll get to retaliate. If you want, you can have a turn too. You know how determined he is." Sirius saw only one flaw with this plan.

"What will you do with Evans once she falls for you?" He asked, tone clearly suggesting that even under the influence of a love potion, he thought it quite unlikely the green eyed Gryffindor would fall for James.

James scowled. "Let her go, I suppose. I don't really find her to be that pretty anyway."

Though he doubted that was true, Sirius knew that James loved having girls adore him. It was becoming more common, and that might be fueling to his arrogance. "Still, what is _with_ that prissy attitude. You're acting like a Slytherin pureblood."

"Sirius, _mate_ , we need a legacy. Like, a real one. Start up the Potter Privilege, the Black Bureaucracy, the Lupin Lordom. Don't you understand? I don't want to be known as the boy whose dad made hair products! I know you don't want a reputation for being in the Black family! Lupin obviously wants _some_ kind of fame. Who doesn't?" Sirius raised an eyebrow. "The way we can do that is by pranks. We prank the staff, the students, even the paintings. We'll create some kind of- of _invention_ to help future pranksters. Pass it on to our kids. We just need one more member. One that everyone takes pity on."

The boys looked at each other for a moment, hazel eyes on blue. They had the same thought at the same time.

"Peter Pettigrew."

They turned and raced down the hall. Sirius gradually pulled ahead of James, who shoved his friend behind him. Both wanted to be the one who talked to Pettigrew, as it would establish their being leader over the others. In the end, it was a flat out sprint to the library, where they shoulder-slammed each other into shelves. James even went so far as to throw an ink bottle at Sirius, who batted it away with his hand, splattering ink over James and himself.

Just when they had spotted Peter, an imposing shadow stopped them. It was Madame Pince, the ancient librarian who seemed to have survived her expiration date and had sold the devil her beauty and kindness in exchange for immortality. She certainly had neither. She towered over them, for they were short, as most eleven and twelve year old boys are.

" _What_ are you _doing_ in my _library_?" She caressed the word 'library' like a lover, and Sirius suddenly thought of Remus. He leaned over to James as Pince started going on about respecting Hogwarts and all that rubbish. "Shouldn't we get him into this, too?" He asked the black haired boy.

James nodded slowly. "Gotta run!" He told Madame Pince cheerfully, sprinting off in the opposite direction. Sirius followed, shooting a look over his shoulder. Students were scurrying away from her as she prowled the shelves, glaring. He wouldn't be surprised if she had fangs that popped out to suck a student's marrow from their bones. However, she tended to stay inside the library. It was probably where she slept with rat skeletons and ate old books from the Restricted Section.

"I think we're safe now," Sirius informed James. The Potter nodded again, slowing from his breakneck pace.

"That library is a treacherous place, mate. Best not go _there_ again." They guffawed, realizing what it meant. No more studying!

 _Well,_ Sirius supposed, _Remus will make us go in there anyway to carry books for him. And I'd have to_ go _, too._ Remus had this motherlike power over Sirius and James. He could make them do literally anything by guilting them. Even the littlest things. A week ago, he had forced Sirius to hand him the salt when it was _less than a meter_ from his arm.

" _Oh Sirius!" Remus's singsong voice penetrated the sleep haze that surrounded the young Black in the mornings. Sirius, ready to comply muttered hazily. "What."_

 _Remus smiled annoyingly. "Can you be a sweet buttermilk biscuit and pass me the salt?" Even though Sirius was barely awake, he shook his head. "It's close to your arm, mate. Reach it."_

 _Brandishing his wrapped arm rather violently in Sirius' face, Remus wailed dramatically. "I'm injured, you heartless monster! Injured, did you hear?" He was not injured. However, he had wrenched his arm while carrying too many books, and the young Madame Pomfrey had advised him to wrap it during the night just to soothe any ache. Remus had taken advantage of it, and used his arm, which he kept wrapped all the time, to make people do the heavy lifting._

 _Or not so heavy lifting._

" _It's close to your arm," Sirius slurred, falling asleep over his pancakes. He was immediately hit in the face by a hardcover. Apparently Remus was well enough to load around heavy books. When he looked up, Remus was trying furiously to cry. It was pathetic. The energy that boy had to make him do things._

 _In fact, it was_ so _sad that Sirius forcefully handed the salt shaker over. He did feel vaguely better after Remus dumped all the salt on his eggs. Unscrewing caps had become second nature in Sirius' mind._

 _As a furious face looked up at him, chestnut brown hair aflop, Sirius giggled like a six year old and ran from the Hall._

Remembering that morning, Sirius giggled again, smirking as James ran into a painting of some partially nude fairies as they rounded the corner. The inhabitants of the paintings shrieked and bawled in distress, throwing bits of the salad they had been painted with at another painting, one of some fully clothed gentlemen wearing bow ties. James apologized and caught up to a laughing Sirius. His cheeks were red.

The two Gryffindors reached the Fat Lady, who was comforting one of the fairies. She squeaked and pointed at James. The Fat Lady scowled at the unruly haired boy. Sirius barely held back a snicker

"I expect you to apologize to this fairy if you want to get into the Tower, Mr. Potter." The Fat Lady was dead serious, thought Sirius wryly. Ha. Dead. Him. It was laughable.

"Um, excuse me? Can I get into the tower, uh, ma'am?" Sirius might as well be the one to tell Remus. The Fat Lady regarded him for a second. "Password?"

"Dracomartichia." She swung open, glaring as James darted toward the hole. Sirius was just inside when his friend's fingers appeared pinched inside the door. It was funnier when the howl of pain was replaced by pleading.

Sirius was debating what to do to the fingers when he remembered about the vial of Stinksap in his pocket. He had nicked it from Professor Sprout's office the day before. Careful not to get any on his fingers, Sirius unscrewed the lid and used the cap to scoop it all up and paste it on James' fingers. Stinksap was impossible to wash off, and it traveled on the body, seeking heat. Sirius ended up sticking one of James' fingers into the vial. Then he ran.

The stairs had never been more steep. Sirius raced up them and tripped over someone's shoe, flying forward and bonking his head on Remus's knee. "Owwww!" He whined, clapping his hand over the "wound". As expected, Remus gently lifted his hand off of his forehead. "It's not that bad, drama queen."

Sirius remembered his revenge on James. It might be a while before he could get in, but sometimes the young Potter was considerate. He could be coming up the stairs right now! "Quick, hide me!" He dove behind Remus, but it did nothing. The other boy pushed Sirius off the bed, frowning. "Go hide somewhere else from James. I don't want him mad at me."

"Hmph. Be like that, traitor." Sirius smiled crookedly. "Just under the bed. I'll be real quiet." Remus considered. "Fine."

In response, he slithered under the bed just as the door opened. It was a tight squeeze, but he made it. Just in time, too. James was _angry_.

Above him, he heard Remus quietly scratching with his quill. A shuffling of papers, and James cleared his throat. A ruffle of hair as Remus looked up. From under the bed, Sirius could just spot James' hand, which was covered in Stinksap. It was almost up to his shoulder, creeping along like a slug.

"Remus Lupin. Hello, traitor." He heard James' feet creak on the floorboards as the boy prowled closer. Sirius let the bottom sheet fall. It mostly covered him, but some of his robes still were out on the floor. "What are these?" Sirius tensed. Remus's unconcerned voice floated from above him. "Just some of my robes."

"Uh huh. You're a very neat person, aren't you, Remus. I can't imagine why you'd be so messy… unless… you were hiding something!" With that, firm hands reached underneath the bed and grabbed Sirius's hair, dragging him out. James was going to pull the hair right off his head! Sirius shrieked and skittered away from James as the other boy came after him, brandishing his Stinksap covered arm.

The door opened, and a concerned looking fourth year boy burst into the room. At the sight of James leaning over Sirius with a green arm, Sirius cowering and whimpering against a bed post, and a calm Remus sitting on the bed reading, he shut the door. Right behind him, though, was Peter Pettigrew.

Peter was small, and could be considered mousy if he didn't have such a pointy nose and small beady eyes. He came up only to Sirius's shoulder. His eyes widened considerably as he came upon his idols wrestling on the floor.

"Oh, hey Peter," Sirius dodged James and stood up, hastily wiping the hair out of his face. A swish of sheets told his ears that Remus had gotten off the bed, walking over to him. Peter's mouth was partially opened. "You're our best mate now, how 'bout that?" He told Peter.

 _Please work please work please work please work please work._

"Okay!" Peter squeaked excitedly. He ran and dislodged his book bag onto his bed, grabbing James' arm. "First, you need to go to McGonagall to wash this off." He bustled from the room, taking care of Sirius's next job. James shot a look back at them. "I'll get you rats!" He shouted, disppearing from view.

Sirius flopped onto his bed, relaxing. Now he could do nothing for the rest of the day. Just as he closed his eyes, a roll of parchment hit his face, along with a quill, and a full ink bottle. That landed somewhere not so pleasant.

Remus frowned at him from the foot of the bed. "Do your homework, Sirius Black!" Sirius groaned.


	3. Chapter 3

**Another chapter! Remus is a cinnamon roll, don't you think?**

Remus Lupin was not the festive type. He didn't think that decorating for each and every holiday was fun- or necessary. What _really_ wasn't fun was having a temporary tattoo of a pumpkin on his forehead. The curling green stem disappeared into his chestnut hair, and people would constantly come up to him just to have a good guffaw over it.

Remus was still trying to figure out which of his friends had done the deed. Peter was unlikely, as was the quiet boy on the other side of the dormitory, so that narrowed it down to James and Sirius. Neither had confessed, although they had a good laugh when he woke up a week before Halloween with a pumpkin on his face. Remus had even gone to Madame Pomfrey, but the young witch deduced it would flake off and turn into a real pumpkin on the first of November.

That was four days away, and Remus had no way to cover up the orange monster on his forehead. He certainly wasn't going to use makeup, but wearing hoods inside classrooms was not allowed. He had even taken to avoiding mirrors, which was okay, but still hard. Remus didn't think himself to be vain, exactly; more in a… relationship with his face.

Bah! He sounded like Sirius. That fiend spent every waking minute staring into a small handheld mirror that he carried around everywhere. It was more important to Sirius than Sirius himself; but really, without one, the other would perish like a little flower. Not that Remus thought Sirius to be a flower.

He was starting to feel the pull. The moon was almost full, a fat gibbous at the moment. It was possible it would fall the day before Halloween. Remus could live with that. What he couldn't live with was the terrible feeling of _losing control_ over his actions or his mind. It was almost as if he were just a passenger during those lonely nights, watching as his more wild self decimated an old shack by Hogsmeade. At times, he almost welcomed the usual memory loss of what he had done in the mornings, when the moon started to wane. This would be his second transformation at Hogwarts, but he dreaded it ten times more than the first. For now he knew how lonely it was, riding around in a feral body. Before, his parents had sent him to a werewolf camp about forty minutes from their house by broom for three days around the full moon. It had been the best option, as some others included killing him.

School was a distracting thing. It kept Remus busy, busier than he ever had been before. Although his mates included him in their new pranks and such, he felt himself drifting away. The thought terrified him. They were his only friends, and the only thing that kept him from sleeping in the library atop a stack of books. Right now, he was finishing an essay from Transfiguration about the theory of switching a living thing into a nonliving thing. It was very annoying, as Professor McGonagall was very harsh while grading essays.

Somehow, James had finished ages ago, and had left to go mess around somewhere that Remus didn't care to know about. Peter was behind in Transfiguration, and for the sake of him, Remus honestly couldn't figure out why. The little wizard was excellent at wand grips and the like, his pronunciations were perfect, and his notes were neat and recent, but not complete. Perhaps that was it. When Remus finished with that infernal essay, he would check them.

Peter. The little Gryffindor was a pure-blood, despite not knowing who is father was. (His mum had taken him to the new Blood Test at the Ministry of Magic. The test results had come up as a pure-blooded wizard. Peter, the little snail he was, had remarked confusedly that the wizards had been joyful and had congratulated his mother on not having a dirty-blood. Sirius, Remus, and James had exchanged worried glances at this.) Peter was readily available to whatever dirty tasks that Sirius and James put him up to. It might have been a good thing, had Peter not made it known he would do anything for someone in power. The boy was frightened easily. _Still,_ Remus reflected, _He's fitting in nicely with our group. A voice of reason among the madness. Speaking of madness…_ He looked towards half of it.

Sirius was sprawled in an armchair next to Peter across from Remus. His hair was in his eyes, so the other boy couldn't tell if he was awake or not.

Maybe if he threw something at Sirius… It might wake him up. Remus rooted around in his bag and came up with a piece of fur from last month's full moon. Definitely not. The Gryffindor first year sighed and continued writing his essay.

Transfiguration was fun and challenging, but that label was only acceptable for the practical part of it. The written part was a load of rubbish. For the life of him, Remus just couldn't figure out how it made him a better wizard. Maybe patience, he mused. Hah. Determination, imagination, no. Whatever.

After twenty more minutes of writing, Remus finished. He would have thrown his hands up and cheered, but some very tall seventh year girls were over by the fire, talking seriously. Remus did _not_ want to embarrass himself. Instead, Remus tapped Sirius on the shoulder and grabbed his wand. As he had suspected, the other boy was asleep.

"Wha? Remus- no! Stop it no!" Sirius scrambled for his wand, which was in Remus's hand. Sirius scowled at Remus and fell out of the armchair. Peter set down his unfinished essay and watched with interest.

"Do you need help, Remus?" He asked pleasantly, smirking as Sirius attracted the attention of the other Gryffindors. Most rolled their eyes and went back to their books, but a few snickered, and that set a sleep-deprived Sirius off.

"Just you wait!" He yelled at them, shaking his fist. Remus held out Sirius's wand as he groped for it, scowling. "Give me my wand, Remus," he growled.

"I think not," Remus giggled, grabbing Peter's wrist and running for the portrait hole. The two boys clambered out and took off at a sprint, a wandless Sirius running and swearing after them. Cuss words followed the fugitives as they ran.

Remus almost covered Peter's ears.

Hogwarts was big. So big, perhaps, that Remus could hide himself and Peter until Sirius graduated. But where would the fun be in that? The two boys swerved Peeves the Poltergeist, who threw a glass trophy at them. Remus ducked and flung aside a tapestry, hoping that the folds would hide the two boys.

Instead, he found a door underneath the tapestry. It was small, blended easily in with the stone wall. Remus tapped it with his wand and whispered " _Alohomora._ " The Charm worked; the door made a small click and opened silently.

"Is this safe?" Peter whispered. Sirius's footsteps pounded closer, and that was enough assurance for Peter. The boy scrambled through the door. Remus followed, shutting it.

Inside was was pitch black and smelled strongly of soap. Remus muttered " _Lumos._ " Peter followed his lead.

They were inside a cupboard, filled with white, fluffy towels. Peter sighed and reclined onto these, but Remus pushed the door of the cupboard open and gaped. They were in an abnormally large bathroom shaped like a hexagon; high ceilings, glass windows overlooking the lake, and a very large bathtub filled with steaming water and sapphire bubbles. On one wall was a row of toilet stalls, but instead of the normally drab wood, it was gleaming metal with all kinds of jewels in it.

Remus didn't know what they had found, but it was amazing. This would definitely be used a lot while he was at Hogwarts.

The two Gryffindors wrestled to get out first.

Later that night, Sirius broke a glass. It normally wouldn't be a big deal, with him having a _Standard Book of Spells, Grade 1_ on hand. A simple _Reparo_ would do the job. He didn't have his wand, though, and Remus noted with alarm as his friend rifled through his bag that he hadn't cleaned it out since the last full moon. His little piece of fur was still in there. Maybe Sirius wouldn't find it, maybe if he did and realized what it was he wouldn't out Remus, maybe…

"Remus, mate, what's this?" Remus winced and turned to see Sirius holding the piece of coarse, smoky gray fur in his hand. James and Peter, sitting on their beds, studying or goofing off, looked up with interest. Remus inwardly said goodbye to their friendship as he opened his mouth to explain.

"Uh. Well, you see, I-er go into the Forbidden Forest-um… sometimes… And I pet wolves- er and stuff." It was a rubbish excuse, and they all knew it. Fortunately, James and Peter went back to their pastimes with barely a shrug.

Only Sirius frowned. "I don't know what you're hiding, mate, but you can tell us. Is it about how you get sick every-" His words were cut off as Remus's hand clapped over his mouth. A protest, muffled, went unnoticed from the other dormitory members. Remus pointed Sirius's wand at its owner's throat, trying to keep it from shaking. Very close to Sirius, Remus sincerely hoped the other boy could not feel how fast his heart was racing. Sirius had been very close to figuring it out. That could _not_ happen again.

"Are you going to shut up now?" He breathed in Sirius's ear, deadly quiet. The young Black nodded, and Remus released him, sitting back down on his scarlet and gold comforter. His hands were trembling.

Sirius looked shocked, and a little scared. Remus felt bad for it, but firmly reminded himself that no one could know. No one. Not even his best mates, for if they found out, they certainly wouldn't be his friends anymore. They would probably expose him and soon everyone would know and he would be expelled and then he wouldn't be a wizard and he would grow up like Squib and have his wand snapped and-

Remus realized what he was doing. Hyperventilating. It had happened a few times before, when he was still new to the transformation. After the first full moon, which he spent ravaging and scratching the walls his parent's magically sealed basement, his mum had found him breathing fast, shivering as he slowly became human again. Or as human has he could get.

It had been the worst night of his life.

Remus slowed his breathing, concentrating on his well-being. He also reminded himself that the teachers and Dumbledore knew. They had even planted that tree, the Whomping Willow for him. If they were going to kick him out, they wouldn't go through all that trouble, would they?

When he looked up again, Sirius was staring at him, head tilted to the side. His hair was close to falling over his eyes. Remus smiled uneasily and closed his books, laying them on the bed. He checked the clock and saw it was past ten o'clock. Classes started quite early, at a whopping seven, and Remus really wanted to have breakfast the next day. He grabbed his toothbrush and strode out of the room, bringing his bag with him. Sirius would not find out his secret.

The next day dawned bright and full of complaining. Sirius's hair was just visible from under his comforter, as was James'. Peter was sitting on his bed, pulling on his too small socks, bemoaning the early starting time of classes. At the sight of Peter's socks, Remus quickly opened his book of spells and flipped to the right page.

" _Engorgio!_ " He said, pointing his wand at the socks. They immediately expanded like bread in the oven. Peter thanked him graciously, smiling.

Remus whizzed through breakfast, eager to get to his lessons. They were always interesting, except for the note-taking. That he loathed with passion.

In Charms, they were practicing Levitation Charms(James ended up bumping against the ceiling, scowling at Sirius), and Remus ended up with no homework. He relished this, for it was change in his normal routine that consisted of mountainous amounts of homework.

In Transfiguration, James succeeded in changing a mouse into a teacup, although the decoration around the sides looked suspiciously like fur. Remus's still had a tail for a spout and the lid had ears. Sirius managed to Transfigure his mouse, but it ended up squeaking whenever touched. Peter's mouse turned into china, but failed to turn into an immobile teapot. The entire class had homework due to James mouthing off McGonagall.

A quick stop at the library, and Remus was racing downstairs for lunch, gobbling up a turkey sandwich and returning to the library. Although he was very careful, Remus always made sure that he was never seen reading the books he checked out.

Somehow, he found a private nook where no one would bother him and took out his books to stack them. Their spines, embossed with their titles, flashed out at him.

 _Werewolves: A History_

 _Ten Ways to Kill a Werewolf_

 _The Wolf Inside: A Journey to Discovering Your Inner Werewolf_

 _How to Kill the Werewolf_

 _Are You A Werewolf?_

Remus had recently had been studying the ways to kill werewolves, but none of the books had been able to tell him how to kill the wolf inside. Even _The_ _Wolf Inside_ had nothing about killing it, just accepting and embracing it.

Unless.

The young Gryffindor frantically opened the book and flipped through the pages to the section marked " _Self Care_ ". It was full of brushing tips on how to combing your head daily could brush out your fur during transformations, where to stay during the full moon so you weren't hurt by angry villagers, and eating tips. Remus greedily scanned the list of unhealthy things for werewolves. Finally, he found it.

 _Chocolate._

If Remus had the chocolate, could it kill the wolf inside of him? He knew that dogs were affected by it; they had been known to die after eating too much of it. If it just killed him, well, he'd cross the bridge when he came to it.

For now, he'd have to find some chocolate.

Smiling broadly, he gathered up his books to find Sirius leaning against the shelves, watching him. His friend's face was expressionless, until he asked, "A fascination with werewolves, huh? Looking to hunt down Fenrir Greyback? I heard he bit a Ministry worker's son about six years ago. You should talk to that boy." Sirius looked behind him for a few seconds, then continued; "It would be nigh near impossible he'd be attending Hogwarts, wouldn't it?" Sirius's eyes narrowed into blue slits.

Remus found himself sweating profusely. Oh Merlin, he was going to find out, wasn't he? Might as well tell him. "It should be," he muttered.

Sirius padded closer, his face softening into a comforting smile. "Hey, Remus, it'll be all right. And besides, who cares that you're a werewolf and you like to eat people-"

Remus scowled. "I don't _eat_ people. I just try to bite them so they turn into werewolves too. But it's not like I have any control."

Realization dawned on Sirius's face. It's the full moon in two days, isn't it. Well, in three days, your pumpkin will be gone. Think about that. Let's go to Potions." He turned and walked almost out of the closeted nook, but turned around. "Hey, mate, it's okay. I honestly don't see you any different now."

Remus nodded his thanks, gratitude swelling his throat. He choked out, "I might have a way to get rid of it," his voice was a little hopeful. As they walked to Potions, Remus told Sirius about the chocolate. Sirius looked thoughtful.

"I _might_ have a way to get it."

As they entered the classroom, where Slughorn was talking animatedly with Lily Evans and Severus Snape, Remus felt a smile stretch across his face. He was going to be free.


End file.
